Karen Theobald-Conlin

Ms. Karen Theobald-Conlin is currently the President and Founding Board Member of the Helping Our Heroes Foundation. As a result of her passion for providing much needed assistance to America's wounded military, she has taken a sabbatical from her executive career in order to donate her expertise and contacts to the Foundation on a full time basis. Ms. Theobald-Conlin operates the foundation, oversees volunteer committee's and committee leadership, and meets personally with high level donors and organizations wishing to benefit service members wounded in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Uniquely qualified for this task, Ms. Theobald-Conlin has raised millions of dollars and negotiated numerous million dollar contracts during her seventeen years as a sports executive and business leader. During her extensive career she has appeared on both domestic and international television and radio as a guest speaker, been interviewed in over 100 articles published in North American print media, and been the spokesperson for critical projects such as the sale of an NHL hockey team. Her passion for her projects and media experience translates to increased recognition for the projects that she chooses to support.

Most recently, Ms. Theobald-Conlin was invited as a guest of the United States Army to travel to Kuwait, Iraq, and Landstuhl, Germany in order to better understand the needs of the military's critically wounded. During this fact finding mission she visited various Combat Support Hospitals in theater, briefed various military leaders on the assistance their wounded colleagues receive at home, and met with medical personnel to determine how to support the efforts of their units while deployed.

The Helping Our Heroes Foundation was created in large part because of Ms. Theobald-Conlin's involvement with the Army's NASCAR deal over three years ago. Her efforts resulted in the Secretary of the Army inviting her to travel with a handful of NASCAR drivers and other sports professionals to visit US troops over the 2002 Christmas holidays.

Ms. Theobald-Conlin toured coalition posts in Kyrgyzstan, Kabul, Khandahar and Kuwait. During the ten day trip these invitee's were exposed to the same harsh climates of winter, desert, and war zones that our troops face daily when deployed. Near the end of the trip, the groups visited each of the camps in Kuwait running up to the Iraqi border, and listened intently as the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, a four star general, stood up in front of thousands at each stop and told them what it would be like to go to war.

Recognized in her professional career as the sports executive involved in the efforts to maintain the Winnipeg Jets as a Canadian hockey team, Ms. Theobald-Conlin made tremendous strides on behalf of the citizens of the Manitoba Province. During her stay in Canada, she far surpassed any previous record for selling sponsorships and luxury suites. Within 48 hours, over 40 premium suites were sold out providing much needed capital to build a new arena and keep the team. While the transition occurred between the interested ownership groups, Ms. Theobald-Conlin was the owner's representative operating the team and in effect the interim president of the NHL franchise.

Since that time, Ms. Theobald-Conlin has served as the Managing Director of the Kirch Gruppe's US Sport's Division, Prisma Sports. In this capacity she opened their US offices, employed and managed all staff, was directly responsible for the budget and revenue generated, and negotiated on behalf of clients with such entities as the NFL, MLB, PGA, NASCAR, Coca Cola, etc.

Today Ms. Theobald-Conlin is married to business executive Sean Conlin, a partner with Deloitte Consulting and originally of Ann Arbor, Michigan. She and her husband have placed the Helping Our Heroes Foundation as their number one philanthropic priority to which Ms. Theobald-Conlin donates her professional time. In addition, she serves on the Corporate Fundraising Committee of the Association of Graduates for the United States Military Academy (West Point) as their only non-graduate. Ms. Theobald-Conlin resides in Northern Virginia with her husband and two and a half year old son Maclain.

The Conlin family joined St. David’s church in 2007 and welcome the addition of the church family to their lives. Maclain Conlin attends St. David’s Pre-School where Karen Conlin serves as his class room mother and as a board member for the POP’s (Parents of Pre-Schooler’s) organization. Ms. Conlin attends the Saturday morning women’s Shepherd’s Group and look forward to growing her association with St. David’s. If elected to the Vestry I would bring my years of business and financial expertise as well as the skills acquired organizing hundreds of volunteers for the purpose of creating a functional operational plan for all involved to grow with and enjoy. I would look to grow St. David’s parish in a meaningful manner, and reinforce the root values with our families and youth. “You will get back whatever you put forth.” A mantra for the priority that I believe our youth deserve.